Nigeria’s players have announced they are boycotting Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with Libya after being stranded at an airport for over 12 hours.
The Super Eagles players and staff flew out to Libya on Sunday night but were diverted to the Al Abraq Airport instead of their original destination of Benghazi Airport, which is over 200km and three and a half hours away from where they were staying.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) claimed in a statement they were stuck at the Al Abraq Airport throughout Sunday night, with some players suggesting they were left without food and water.
Nigeria were due to play Libya in Benghazi on Tuesday night, but the Super Eagles have said they are making plans to fly back home instead of playing the fixture.
Nigeria players were stranded for over 12 hours
“The delegation of Nigeria to Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya still remained at the Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya,” the statement read.
“The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport away from Benghazi just as the pilot was completing his approach to the Benghazi Airport. We understand the Al Abraq International Airport is only used for hajj operations.
“Fatigued players and officials have remained nonplussed as the host Libyan Football Federation failed to send any reception team or even vehicles to take the delegation members from the airport to their hotel, said to be 3 hours away in Benghazi.
“The NFF made arrangements for separate vehicles for the team but the plan was unhinged by the diversion of the aircraft. Players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home.”
Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong, formerly of Watford, tweeted: “12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason.
“They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.
“I’ve experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour. Even the Tunisian Pilot who thankfully managed to navigate the last-minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land had never seen something like this before.
“Upon arrival he tried to find a nearby airport to rest with his crew to be denied at every hotel again under Government instruction. He could sleep there but NO NIGERIAN crew members allowed. They have returned to now sleep on the plane which is parked up.
“At this point we have called for our Nigerian Government to intervene and rescue us. As the captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game. CAF should look at the report and what is happening here.
“Even if they decide to allow this kind of behaviour, let them have the points. We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here even with security it’s not safe. We can only imagine what the hotel or food would be like given to us IF we continued.
“We respect ourselves and respect our opponents when they are our guests in Nigeria. Mistakes happen but these things on purpose have nothing to do with [international] football.”
‘There is outrage in Nigeria’
Nigerian journalist Cecilia Omorogbe speaking to Sky Sports News from Lagos:
“According to what the Libyan Government and Football Federation tweeted, they said it is normal for flights to be diverted to actually land in another city. They are working as hard as they can for this game to go on.
“But the Nigerian squad are doing a lot of diplomacy to make sure the players can go back home. They don’t want the players to play the game and come home successfully. They have been left at the airport for more than 15 hours and they are not even sure when they will leave.
“We, in Nigeria, pray for the safety of the players. It’s not a kidnapping or a hostage situation but the fact they have been left unattended at the airport with no delegation to receive them and take them where they need to go, which is a three-hour journey.
“And we know in Libya, with the war going on there, it’s not really safe to go by roads or by bus to go across the city. There is outrage in Nigeria, we are all really sad.
“Most Nigerians are standing behind the players telling them not to play the game. They are not in the frame of mind. The players need to be protected and be given assurances that the players will be safe and treated fairly. What has been going on in the last 15 hours, it doesn’t look like that.”